GLEN ST. MARY, Fla. — All throughout the morning and through the day Thursday, crews across Northeast Florida have been monitoring wildfires for hotspots and trying to contain them, especially in Baker County.
Baker County Assistant Fire Chief Donald Blanton said fires are contained but not controlled.
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His agency and the Florida Forest Service are performing “mop ups,” which is extinguishing any hot spots. They’re on the lookout for embers.
“As days heat up and the wind picks up, those embers can jump those lines and get into unburied areas and you’re off to the race again so that’s what companies are mopping up now,” Blanton told us via phone.
He said if you see something, say something; but which fires are worth reporting?
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“If something is in the blackened area and our crews are on site, then that’s not a problem. If they see something burning that looks like it’s outside of the lines and it’s something more than just a small fire, we do need to know about that,” Blanton said.
Glen St. Mary farmer Scott Nipper was told to evacuate Wednesday. He disobeyed that order to protect his animals.
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“It was a little ways from us, but the forest service came out pretty quick and handled it. They had quite a bit of equipment on scene. I wasn’t worried about it. I was a little bit worried about my neighbors because the woods are thicker around their house,” Nipper said.
But Blanton urges residents to heed evacuation orders
“Don’t ever decide you’re going to stand your ground because what happens if you find yourself boxed in and by the time you try to run, you may have no place to go,” Blanton said.
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